Saskatoon police constable suspended for offensive posts

The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) said a 12-year-member of the force has been placed on a paid administrative leave after making offensive posts on a personal social media account.

"These posts were harmful and offensive to the gender and sexually diverse community," SPS said in a news release.

"I want to assure the public that we take these complaints seriously. We have acted swiftly to address the issue and a thorough investigation will occur," SPS Chief Troy Cooper said in the release.

Natasha King, co-chair of the Saskatoon Diversity Network, said she saw screenshots of the posts from a Twitter user on Friday and was then called personally by Cooper later that morning.

He told her he had seen the posts and the force would be suspending the officer immediately. King said she appreciated the quick response, and the call from Cooper.

Training 'not effective'

King said the Saskatoon police has had numerous discussions in recent years about things like inclusion, diversity training, anti-racism training, and other positive initiatives. The service has reached out to them and others in the LGBTQ2S+ community for consultation. 

"It feels when you see that, from someone that's been there for quite a while, that training is not being effective," she said. 

The posts King said she saw were anti-trans and "very much mocking people going through a gender transition," as well as mocking the LGBTQ2S+ community more broadly.

She said there was one post that said "I'm with the ones who carry firearms and know which bathroom to use."

"That to me was very offensive because it also is talking about violence," she said. 

"Some of them were quite juvenile and silly but some of them had other undertones to them that were more associated with violence."